Jokinen really has showed me a lot since being acquired. They serve different purposes though so its hard to compare them. Based on his defensive abililty you have to value Sutter higher, but Jokinen is better in the offensive zone.

thehockeyguru wrote:Jokinen really has showed me a lot since being acquired. They serve different purposes though so its hard to compare them. Based on his defensive abililty you have to value Sutter higher, but Jokinen is better in the offensive zone.

I'd like to see Jokinen center the 4th line once everyone is healthy.

Jokinen is actually the kind of forward I wanted Shero to get for a long time. He's clearly skilled and can be productive in the right setting, but isn't too expensive. The kind of player Wings always seemed to get... these guys who can play smart and chip in some points now and then.

darkstar57 wrote:-Dupius really is showing that his play the past two years is more a result of him hitting another level as a player and less to do with crosby carrying him. He has just been outstanding.

I agree. Playing with Crosby sort of completely changed the way Dupius sees the ice imo. So much more of a threat than he is given credit for and he is a machine of energy like Crosby. Hope the Pens treat him well, but hope he sees the "other" side also. But, at his age, he just might go after the money for family and financial security.

Dupuis didn't hit another level as a player in his 30s. He has always been a solid 20 goal a season player when given a chance in a scoring situation. He has been put in a situation where he's not just a checker and thats where the change has come from.

Jokinen has been awesome. Jokinen has also played wing quite often. Now, sadly Bennett will most likely come out of the line-up once Neal returns. All this being said, I see these lines as giving us the best combination of depth and strength:

Dupuis-Sid-IginlaKunitz-Malkin-NealMorrow-Sutter-Jokinen(Sutter and Jokinen can switch off on face-off situations)Cooke-Kennedy-Glass/Vitale/Adams

-instead of dressing an extra dman, you dress and extra forward and allow the third line to toggle between Cooke and Morrow(let's morrow rest his legs)-Kunitz benefits Malkin more than Sid. While I don't like breaking something that works, Sid's line should be just as successful with Iginla. -Sutter is better than Jokinen defensively and also is unable to play wing at this point, so Sutter remains at center, but both can take faceoffs. -the 4th line should be self-explanatory there. That's imply a lethal 4th line anyway you look at it.

I think it is positively amazing that Carolina has helped us build this team and our organization this year. They first take a "no win" situation like the Staal contract and turn it into a solid 3rd line Center for this year and two defensive prospects for our organization - one of which is touted as perhaps our best prospect overall. They then hand us a versatile player who can play all three forward positions anywhere in the top nine, is a solid faceoff, pp and pk guy - and then actually agree to pay some of his salary.

I think if we can win the Cup then Rutherford'd name should go on it too.

Again, Dupuis also plays with the best player in the world. Even on a first line on any other team I highly doubt he looks as good as he does here. Same goes for Kunitz--he's barely been noticeable in Crosby's absence.

the wicked child wrote:I don't think it's worth getting too caught up over who is going to have to sit when. It takes more than your optimal top 20 to win the cup. Injuries will happen, so people will get to play.

Agreed. I think it is a safe bet that everyone who has worn a sweater for the Pens this season will eventually be pressed into duty. Maybe not for an extended stretch of games, but at least for a key game here or there.

DontToewsMeBro wrote:Again, Dupuis also plays with the best player in the world. Even on a first line on any other team I highly doubt he looks as good as he does here. Same goes for Kunitz--he's barely been noticeable in Crosby's absence.

Dupuis produces everywhere he plays in the lineup. Kunitz does too. The reason for that is that their games are not all about scoring ala James Neal. When Neal doesn't score, his game suffers overall. The other two do all the little things that matter.

I think that perhaps the biggest contribution this year is actually from Dupuis, in that he has scored so many even strength goals. To have as many as he does with virtually zero PP time is really an accomplishment for him.

i guess hockey nerds can attest to this, but this isn't apparent to the uninitiated. he's without question a defensively responsible center. possibly at a rare level. but he's neither quick nor particularly rangy (like staal was), so i don't know if i'd go as far to say he's an outstanding "shutdown center".

I'd say he's far from it.

I saw a lot of sutter in Carolina and think he's definitely responsible as a two-way center with his effort, but he isn't anything "rare" and can't carry Staal's jock strap when it comes to two way play. I'm not down on him at all, but he's got some holes in his game and can be knocked around rather easily by other forwards. He's a good 3rd liner on a good team, but he isn't going to be considered for the Selke anytime soon.

I'd rather have sutter and his contract than Staal's, but he's not close to being the same player and I think maybe Pens' fans kind of overrate him as a two-way forward. He puts out the effort but simply isn't too strong.

DontToewsMeBro wrote:Again, Dupuis also plays with the best player in the world. Even on a first line on any other team I highly doubt he looks as good as he does here. Same goes for Kunitz--he's barely been noticeable in Crosby's absence.

Dupuis produces everywhere he plays in the lineup. Kunitz does too. The reason for that is that their games are not all about scoring ala James Neal. When Neal doesn't score, his game suffers overall. The other two do all the little things that matter.

I'm really down on Neil and I try to curb my posting to keep from being repetitive about it. He's a guy who can play only one position and with only one center(two if you count Brad Richards) and otherwise he sucks, and I mean like AHL-level player and not a NHLer. He also takes some of the dumbest penalties and seems to have little hockey instinct except FEED ME MOAR on the PP. Besides that, he's rather useless. I'd like to see him moved in the off-season while his value is seemingly high.